I Can't Believe This is Happening
by Justasmalltowngirl2713
Summary: brief short story about how the Maltara romance finally began


I raced down the alley, jumping over a trashcan, as I tried to catch up to the latest serial killer here in San Francisco. He fired a few rounds off at me, but badly missed, and I kept up pursuit. He rounded a corner and I desperately tried to keep up, racing as fast as I could, and nearly ran into him when I turned and saw him frozen in his tracks. I held up my gun as I slowly walked around him and saw that my partner, Natara Williams was also aiming her firearm at the killer's chest. I stood alongside her as our killer, Daniel Connors, aimed his gun at us.

"You don't want to do this, Daniel," Natara said.

"What do you know about what I want?" he screamed.

"I know you wanted to be a doctor when you were younger," she calmly replied. "I know you wanted to marry the girl next-door, Alli. I know you want to help your mom get healthy again, and you can do all that, if you just put down the gun and come with us."

Daniel looked around warily, and a single tear slid down his cheek. "I never meant for all of this to happen."

"I know you didn't Daniel, and we can fix all this. Just please, come with us, and we'll help you."

And he put down the gun. He kicked it across the street and I snatched it up. He put his hands over his head and I went over to cuff him and started to read his rights. The uniforms showed up and took him away, and I headed over towards Nat. "How the _hell _do you do that?"

She laughed. "It's my Jedi-mind tricks."

"Ah," I said with a chuckle. "You'll have to teach me."

"I'm not sure your brain is capable of it." We laughed and then headed out for coffee at our favorite local place. We ordered our usual and sat down at our favorite table, the one right up against the big front window that looked out towards the park.

"You never stop to ama-" I started to say, when my cell phone started to wrong. The caller ID said it was Captain Yeong.

"Hello?"

"Daniel Connors got away and started running in you and Natara's direction. Get him, now," she said, and then hung up.

"We gotta-" I started.

"I know, c'mon," Natara interrupted, and we both headed for the door, until a gunshot tore through the front window, glass raining on the patrons. Daniel stepped through the wreckage, gun at firing position, aiming towards my head.

"Both of you. Guns down. Now."

Natara looked at me, and we both put them down and kicked them across the store. He picked them up, putting one in his holster and kept the other in hand.

"You said I'd be able to help my mom if I came with you. But you lied. They were going to take me to jail. I'd be locked in a cage and I would never see her. You lied. YOU LIED!" he shouted and sent a shot up through the air.

"Daniel, you can still make everything right, it's not too late, we can help you-"

"NO YOU CAN'T!" he shouted, and then fired.

My world slowed to a crawl. I blinked, trying to acknowledge what happened, but I couldn't. I looked at Natara, her wide-open mouth and teary eyes, and then my knees have way.

I clutched at the whole in my lower chest, my hands turning red from my own blood. I remember hearing the roar of sirens, the yells of officers, but most of all, I remember Natara crying over me, clutching me close, whispering, "Mal, I need you to stay with me, just hang on, help's coming, keep your eyes open. Mal, I love you, stay here with me, please..." and I went under.

I woke up in a stark white room, tubes hooked up to both my arms and another under my nose. "H-Hello...?"

"Hey, sleepyhead," I heard her say. I forced my eyes open and saw Natara sitting in an armchair across the room. She stood up and pushed my hair out of my face. "How you feeling?"

"Alright. Frazzled. How long was I out?" I asked, sleepily.

"Two days now," she whispered.

"How long have you been here?" I added with a smirk.

"...Two days," she answered with a blush. "The doctors will probably want to see you, now that you're awake, I'll just go grab them..."

"It's ok, just wait a sec," I told her. I wish I could've gotten up and walked over to her, pulled her back. Did she mean it when she said she loved me? Did she realize I had heard?

She looked back at me, hand on the door, and stopped. "Do you need something?" she asked.

"Come here," I whispered. She looked at me, and let go of the doorknob. She came over to the side of my bed, and I reached up and touched her cheek. She smiled, and leaned in just slightly. "Do you want to know the last thing I remember?"

She reached up to touch my hand. "What?"

I smiled. "You told me...that you loved me."

Her eyes went wide, and she walked away from me, letting my hand fall from her face. "What? But you were, you were..."

"Nat. Come here." I reached my hand out to her, and she took a small step towards me. "Nat, please." She kept coming closer until she finally took my hand, and I yanked her close, closer than I had ever been to her before. I could feel her soft breath on my face as it quickened, could smell her perfume, could look into her eyes so close. I let go of her hand and moved mine to her cheek again, and she blushed. I looked into her eyes, and she looked at mine, then down at my mouth, and back again, and she moved in, so her mouth was brushing mine.

"I love you, too," I whispered, and I finally kissed her.

Her hand moved up to my neck, and all I could focus on was her, here, with me; and yes, I know I'll have to hand over my man card for saying that. I kissed her and kissed her until I couldn't breathe anymore and we broke apart, and she rested her forehead on mine. "I love you so much," she whispered. I opened my eyes and found hers, and she smiled. Was this a dream? Had I really told her how I felt?

"I can't believe this is happening," I whispered as she stood up again. She couldn't stop smiling, and she touched my cheek, my lips, my nose, my hair, making sure this was real.

"Me neither. But I'm happy it is," she replied.


End file.
